It's always the quiet ones
by islashlove
Summary: This is the sequel to my story 'Please Stay, Don't Go' Lassiter, O'Hara, Shawn, Gus and Henry, investigate the shooting at a restaurant. McNab and his wife are victims of the shooting and as they dive further and further into the shooting more and more questions come up about their beloved McNab and who he really is. This story DOES have Slash in it.
1. If McNab is Hurt, We All Bleed

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own anything that is from Psych. **

**Beta:**** Yes and thank you to jerseybelle for all your hard work.**

**Warning:**** This is a slash story which means same sex relationships. If you don't like it, don't read it. ****In later chapter's there will be talk about child abuse.**

**Author's Notes:**** This is the sequel to my story 'Please Stay, Don't Go!' This Story does have slash in it, as in Shawn and Lassiter are now a couple, but this isn't the main focus for this story. This story will be looking at McNab and his past.**

**Story Notes:**** Lassiter, O'Hara, Shawn, Gus and Henry, investigate the shooting at a ****restaurant. McNab and his wife are victims of the shooting and as they dive further and further into the shooting more and more questions come up about their beloved McNab and who he really is.**

**It's always the quiet ones:**** By islashlove**

**Chapter 1:**** If McNab is Hurt, We All Bleed.**

Three vehicles pull up at the crime scene and the occupants climbed out. There was an uneasy quietness in the air, as if the world knew a gentle giant had been hurt.

Lassiter was the first to reach the crime tape and he slowly looked around. When he couldn't find what he was looking for, he went to speak to the nearest officer. Shawn watched him and didn't miss the slight flinch Lassiter gave as he realised why McNab wasn't there to meet them. Looking back at the others, Lassiter couldn't help feeling like a fool. He now realised how much he had become dependent on McNab at crime scenes and not having him here had already shook him. But now it was going to be even worse, since he was one of the victims.

Walking back to the others, Lassiter could see Shawn giving him a worried look. He smiled at the man who was now his lover, his life, just to reassure him that he was ok. But he could see that this case was going to take a heavy toll on Shawn, both physically and mentally. Then looking around, he figured it was going to do that to everyone at the station. Because that was how much McNab was respected and loved.

Shawn could see the pain in Lassiter's eyes as he looked around at all of the people there. Both police officers and civilians stood there in wonderment at how such a tragedy could happen in their city. He knew this was going to hurt them all, especially if McNab dies. But with saying that, he also knew that every man would be working their hardest to find who did this to these people, to their McNab and his family.

After they had been there for about five minutes they finally headed into the restaurant where the shooting had taken place. All the survivors had been taken to hospital and only the dead were left lying where they had fallen. Shawn shivered as he quickly glanced around the room and counted the bodies. Twenty four; twenty four bodies lay motionless on the floor and there was another twelve markers where the survivors had been; now it was a waiting game to see how many of them would make it.

Shawn shook his head at the number of dead who were children. He could hear an officer saying something about a children's birthday party and how there had been fifteen kids there, but only six were taken to the hospital.

As he looked at each marker, he could see they each had a name on them. Shawn could also see both McNab's and his wife's names on two of the markers in the back of the restaurant. At first, it looked like every other shooting he had been to, but then something caught his eye. Something that made his stomach churn and his blood boiled at the same time. Shaking his head again, trying to clear it from the shock he just had, Shawn once again looked at the markers.

There were two colours being used; red for where the victims had fallen and blue for where they had been setting at the time the shooter had walked in. But no matter how many ways he looked at it, it came out the same way. There were two areas, one where most of the people, including the staff were, and the second one only had a few people in it. It was the area with the least number of people that had been shot up the most; which meant that this was a hit on someone and the rest of the victims were probably just damage control. The only problem was, who were they after? The name on the markers here indicated that it was also the area where McNab and his wife had been sitting.

There were two other victims in this area, which meant there were four people who could have been the potential target. One of the four had died at the scene. But, if it were McNab or his wife, what could they have done to warrant such an attack, and what type of monsters were they, that they could shoot up a kid's party without any remorse at all. Shawn was brought from his thoughts as his dad placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"Are you ok, son?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. I just think that this was a hit and McNab or his wife could have been the target."

"What makes you think that, Shawn?" Gus piped in as he listened nearby.

"The area where they were sitting was shot up the most and there were only four people sitting in that area."

As Henry and Gus looked at the area Shawn had just mentioned, a call came in over the radio. McNab's wife didn't make it. Now, more than ever, Shawn was determined to find out who had hurt McNab and why.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing **


	2. The Bigger Question

**Chapter 2:**** The Bigger Question.**

They work through the restaurant, one step at a time, one area at a time, finding every bullet casing and every bit of evidence. Shawn just stood back and observed all that was being found and all that was getting missed.

He counted all the casings. One hundred and two casings, which meant, the man had used an automatic weapon of some sort and most likely, he had at least two of them. Shawn could see the bullet riddled walls, and even taking into account the bullets that were still in the victims, the math didn't add up. There were at least twelve more bullet holes in the walls, than there were casings, which meant one of two things. One, there were two shooters and one of them cleaned up after himself, or two, there had been an earlier shooting, and the management still hadn't cleaned up after the last one. This led Shawn to question whether this isn't the first time this place has been shot up then and what was really going on in here?

Shawn watched as one of the bodies was being wheeled out and something near the main door caught his eye. As he walked over to get a better look, Lassiter had noticed the strange look Shawn had on his face and he went over to ask Shawn if he had found something.

"Shawn...is everything ok?"

"Yeah, Lassie, I just thought I saw something. Umm, Lassie, did McNab have his gun on him?"

"I don't know, I can go and ask, why?"

"Because there's a bullet hole here and if I'm seeing it right it probably came from McNab's table."

Lassiter looked at where Shawn was pointing. They had been so focused on where the shooter had been firing, no one had thought about the fact that McNab could have gotten a shot off himself. Then Lassiter noticed something else about where the bullet had hit, there was blood around the impact site, which meant that, if McNab had fired a shot, he hit his target.

"O'Hara!" Lassiter called over his shoulder.

Juliet walked over to where Shawn and Lassiter were standing. She was confused as to why they were focusing on the main door frame, instead of where the shooter had fired. But when she saw the bullet impact site in the door frame, she understood.

"Do you think McNab fired a shot at the gunman?"

"Men, Jules. There were two shooters, not one."

"Are you sure, Spencer? I mean he could have had two guns."

"Yes, he could have had two guns and this place could have been shot up before, but I doubt that is the case, right!"

"No, I mean, yes! You're right. This place hasn't been shot up before, but how did you know that?" asked Juliet.

"The number of bullet casings doesn't match the number of bullet holes in the walls," Shawn answered.

"I don't understand, Spencer."

"So far they have found one hundred and two casings, yet there are one hundred and fourteen bullet holes in the walls. We know not all of the bullets went through the victims, so why are there more holes than casings? Because there were two shooters and one cleaned up after him, or her, self."

"Ok, that sounds plausible, I guess. Let's hope this bullet is from McNab's gun and we can get a lead off the blood as to who did this," Lassiter said with the sound of determination in his voice.

"And we find out why McNab fired the first shot?"

"He did what!" Juliet asked shocked at Shawn's statement.

"What makes you think he fired the first shot, Spencer?"

"Because, Lassie dear, the area where he and his wife were sitting was shot up first, even though it had the least amount people sitting in it. And, before you ask how I know that, McNab, his wife and the other two victims, were shot down right next to their tables. Whereas, the other people had time to move towards the fire exit before the guns were turned towards them. Which means McNab was one of the first to be shot and the chances of him firing and hitting the shooter, while being shot at...is very slim."

"So you think, Shawn," Henry said as he walked up behind Shawn, "that McNab saw the shooter or shooters walk in, worked out what they were going to do and started to fire on them."

"No, Dad, I think McNab knew the shooters and that they were here for him. He just wasn't fast enough to bring them down first."

"Spencer, you do realise what you have just said, don't you?" Lassiter asked worried if what Shawn had just offered about the shooting was right, what did it really mean."

"Yes, Lassie, I know what I just said and if I'm right, this was a hit and McNab was the intended target. Then, the bigger question is, what did McNab do to become a target?"

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	3. Who is this Man Called Buzz McNab?

**Chapter 3:**** Who is this Man Called Buzz McNab?**

Nearly six hours and numerous interviews later, they all walked into the station. Nothing that was said or found changed the fact that Shawn had been right. Witness statements all confirmed there were two gunmen and that McNab had opened fire on them before anything had happened. Now they were sifting through all the information to try and find out why McNab fired first.

One witness, a waitress at the restaurant, said that McNab was a regular and that he always faced the doors. When she was asked what she meant, she explained that, no matter where he sat, he always needed to be able to see the doors, both front and back. This gave them the feeling that McNab was expecting some sort of attack. But that couldn't be right. This was McNab; he was the most carefree man Lassiter had ever known. Even Spencer wasn't as carefree as he made out he was, whereas McNab never seemed to be worried about anything.

Everyone was starting to wonder who this man was, that they called McNab; because it was turning out to be that he wasn't the man they had all thought he was.

Another witness had said that when the men entered the restaurant it looked like they were looking for someone and when they saw the man she had identified as McNab, they started to talk among themselves. As they turned to face him, McNab stood up and fired two shots. One hit the taller of the two men, but before McNab could fire again, the smaller man had opened fire.

Lassiter rubbed his head as he read the rest of the statements. They all said the same thing. The two men walked in. They whispered to each other and then McNab opened fire. But it doesn't make sense; why would McNab open fire first? Did he know the two men and if so why didn't he call for back up? These questions were running around in Lassiter's head and he was starting to get a headache.

He looked up at the rest of the group. Gus was leaning over O'Hara's desk trying to help her with the computer. Henry had disappeared into the Chief's office as soon as they had walked into the bullpen and Shawn...Shawn was sitting in a chair, arms crossed and his chin nearly touching his chest. Shawn looked like he was asleep, but Lassiter had learnt that Shawn sat this way when he was in deep thought.

"I can't believe it," Juliet said to Gus, as they continued to look at the computer. Her voice was loud enough for everyone else to hear. Loud enough, that it brought the Chief and Henry out of her office.

"What have you found, O'Hara?" inquired Lassiter as he moved towards her desk.

"McNab, he was..." Juliet pursed as she looked up at her partner.

"He was what, O'Hara?" Chief Vick quickly asked before Lassiter had a chance to snap at her.

"He was adopted."

"O'Hara, that has nothing to do with..." Lassiter started to say to her.

"But it does," she snapped, interrupting Lassiter. "His real name is George Dickson."

"George Dickson! As in, the George Dickson, of the Dickson murders case?" Henry asked.

"Yes, as in George Alex Dickson!"

"Who's George Dickson?" Gus asked confused.

"Dude," Shawn said shaking his head at Gus, "he's McNab."

"That's not what I meant, Shawn!" Gus snapped giving him a death glare.

"George Dickson was a ten year old boy who witnessed his entire family being murdered. He testified against the killers and as far as I knew, he was put in protective custody," Henry said filling Shawn and Gus in on who George Dickson was.

"And McNab was this boy?" Shawn asked worry in his voice.

"By the look of it, he was." Lassiter looked over O'Hara's shoulder at the information on her computer screen. He then looked up at his Chief. "Wasn't any of this in his personnel file?"

"Only that he was adopted. There was nothing about his real parents in the file."

"That is what we were going over in the office," Henry added.

"So, how did you get this information, Juliet?" Shawn asked his curiosity increasing with every second she hesitated to answer him.

"Well..." Juliet started to say. "I know a man, a US Marshall, who works in witness protection, and when the little red flag came up when I put McNab's name in the computer, I gave him a quick call. He E-Mailed me this information."

"Do you realise how much trouble we could be in, O'Hara?" Chief Vick snapped at her. But before Juliet could answer, a voice from the main door entered their ears.

"You're all in a lot of trouble."

They turned around to find three men, all dressed in black suits and wearing sunglasses.

"Oh, Man! The Men in Black; don't look at their pens, they'll wipe your mind."

"Shawn! Really! You want to make a 'Men in Black' reference at a time like this." Gus scolded his friend.

"Well..."

"Shut it, Spencer," Lassiter snapped as he glared at Shawn, only to have his heart melt when Shawn gave him his puppy dog eyes. "Sorry, but, well, you know."

"I know, my Lassie of love," Shawn said smiling back at him. They then returned their attention back to the men in black.

"If you have all finished," the one standing in front of the others said. "We will proceed, shall we?"

"Sorry, but, who are you?" Chief Vick asked taking a step forward. "I am..."

"We know who you are, Chief Vick. We are from witness protection and you are looking into one of our people."

"If you mean Officer McNab is 'One' of your people then, yes, we are looking into one of your people."

"You don't need to be snippy, Detective Lassiter."

"Sorry! But, McNab is one of our men and he and his wife were just gunned down in a shooting at a restaurant. His wife didn't make it and it looks like McNab might have been the target. So please excuse me for being a little grumpy," Lassiter barked back at the man.

"Look, I am sorry about what has happened, but the point is, he is under witness protection and this is now our case."

"He wasn't shot down because of that." Everyone turned to face Shawn. His comment caught them by surprise.

"What do you mean, Shawn?" Henry asked carefully as he had noticed Shawn had gone very white.

"McNab, he wasn't shot because he was in witness protection."

"You can't know that, Shawn," Lassiter said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I can."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because, it said on the computer that McNab had dropped out of the program when he turned thirteen, the year he was adopted."

"So why..." Lassiter started to say as he looked back at the men standing there, "was McNab still flagged, if he was no longer in the program?"

"We were still keeping an eye on him."

"Well, since McNab isn't actually in the program, you have no right to take over this case. Please leave," Chief Vick said staring at the leader.

"We'll leave, but we will be back, I promise you that." And with that the three men walked out.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the Feds leave, but it only lasted for a second.

"Shawn!" Gus yelled as he watched his friend collapse onto the floor.

Lassiter picked Shawn up and sat him on a chair, kneeling beside him to keep him from falling again.

"Sorry," a sheepish whisper came from Shawn. "I guess I overdid it today."

"I think so too. Chief, do you mind if I take Shawn home?"

"Not at all, Detective Lassiter, I think we all should go home and get a good night's sleep. We can start start fresh in the morning."

They all agreed and headed off to their respective homes. They were all still wondering, who this man they called McNab really was.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	4. Letters?

**Chapter 4:**** Letters?**

Shawn slowly stirred in bed. His head was hurting and so was every part of his body. He laid there with his eyes shut trying to remember what he had done to make him feel this way. Taking a deep breath, Shawn tried to calm the throbbing headache he had and clear his mind.

As he did, he could hear Lassiter singing somewhere in the background and then a wonderful smell hit him. But the pleasure of the scent was quickly lost as Shawn rushed towards the bathroom in order to empty his stomach.

As he leaned over the toilet in order to 'feed' it, Shawn could feel someone enter the room behind him; he knew it was Lassie by the smell; the smell that could only be Lassie. As the next round of toilet chucking started he felt a comforting hand rubbing his back.

About fifteen minutes later, Shawn's stomach had settled down enough for him to move from the bathroom floor back to the bed. Shawn fought with a laughter that wanted to erupt out of his mouth, but he couldn't stop it. At first it was a small giggle and then it was laughter full of pain, but he still couldn't stop it. Lassie had looked so funny, with the worried look on his face.

"Shawn, are you ok?"

"Yeah, Lassie, sorry, it was just...that look on your face, it's just so...ow, that hurt," Shawn said as the wet cloth Lassiter had been wiping down his head with, now suddenly hit him in the face. "What was that for?"

"For you scaring me yesterday and laughing at me now. Shawn, why didn't you say that you needed a rest yesterday? No one is going to judge you. You really scared me, when you collapsed."

"Sorry, I just wanted to help McNab and now, all we are doing is asking ourselves, who this man we have come to know and love really is. At least we thought we knew him.

"Shawn..."

"Yes Lassie?"

"About what you said yesterday, about it not being about him, about him being in the witness protection program. How do you know that?"

"I have this feeling! This...gut, feeling, that we're looking in the wrong place. That we've missed something; something very important. I just, I just can't get my finger on it, at least not yet."

"Ok, well, do you think you could handle some breakfast?"

"Sorry, Lassie, darling, but until my head stops spinning and my stomach settles down a bit more, I think I better stay away from food, ok."

"Ok, Shawn. You get some rest. I'll lay here with you."

"Hell you will. You have cooked yourself food, so get out there and have some of it before it gets cold. Besides, you have to go to work soon and find the bastard who did this to McNab."

"Are you sure, Shawn? I can stay here with you today."

"NO! I'm fine and anyway, you know me. Once I feel a little better, I will be following up my own leads. So go!"

"Ok, but call me, if you need me, or you find something. We need this one done by the books, Shawn. You know what I mean."

"Yes, Lassie, I do." Lassiter got up and started to head for the door, but just before he got there, Shawn called him back. "Lassie, don't you forget something?"

Shawn watched as Lassiter's shoulders slumped a bit. Shawn felt a little twinge of guilt for calling Lassie back, but that quickly changed, when he saw the grin on Lassiter face when he turned around.

"What did I forget, Shawn?"

"You forgot to give me a kiss goodbye," Shawn replied as he batted his eye lashes.

"Shawn! I was only going to get my food; I was coming back, before I leave."

"Ok, sorry, Lassie, I wasn't thinking straight."

"Sure you weren't." Lassiter mumbled to himself as he walked out the door.

Leaning his head back against the headboard of the bed, and although his head was still pounding, Shawn tried to concentrate on the question Lassie has asked him.

'_About what you said yesterday, about it not being about him, about him being in the witness protection program. How do you know that?'_

How did he know it had nothing to do with McNab being in the witness program? Was it the fact that McNab had been out of the program for years? Or was it something else? And if it was something else, what could it be?

Shawn closed his eyes and let out a groan as the pain in his head intensified in protest for being used. Just then a cool wet cloth was place on his forehead. Shawn let out another groan; only, this one was with pleasure as the coolness eased the throbbing in his head.

"Lassie, you are amazing."

"Thank you, Shawn." Lassiter said as he took the cloth and place it into a bowl of water. He wrung it out and as he turned, he greeted by Shawn's eyes looking at him with concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, what makes you say that?" Lassiter said finding the cloth in his hand suddenly very interesting.

"Your voice, your eyes, they are telling me, Lassie. So what is wrong?"

"It's, it's McNab. O'Hara just called in, McNab is in the ICU and they don't think he's going to make it," Lassiter whispered as he just stared at the cloth in his hand.

"He will make it, Carlton. We have to believe that." Shawn said as he sat up and rubbed Lassie's back. "And we will find who did this."

"I hope so, Shawn, I really hope so," Lassie said looking Shawn in the eyes. "Anyway, I've got to get to work and you need to rest a bit more. Here is the mail. Let me know if there's anything interesting." And with that he leaned over and gave Shawn a kiss.

"I will," Shawn replied as they broke apart, "and you, be careful today."

Lassiter gave Shawn a sad smile and headed out the bedroom door. Shawn looked at the stack of mail before him; there was the usual junk mail and at least three letters, most likely bills. He laid them onto his lap and closed his eyes again. He listened as Lassiter shut the front door and a minute later, start the car.

As he drifted off to sleep Shawn saw letters. Not a few letters, but a lot of them and they had McNab's name on them. As the image moved outwards, he could see they were in a drawer and McNab was throwing in another, just before he closed it.

Sitting up, Shawn just ignored the pain in his head as he jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed. He had to get to the station and to Lassie. Shawn knew that those letters held the key as to why McNab and his wife, along with others, were shot.

But as he took off down the road on his bike, the pain in Shawn's head intensified and his vision blurred. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	5. What Happened to Shawn?

**Chapter 5:**** What Happened to Shawn?**

Shawn woke up in the hospital. Looking to his left, he saw his dad sleeping in a chair next to the bed. Just behind him and a little more to the right was Gus. He too was asleep. Movement to Shawn's right made him look over to find a very concerned Lassiter staring at him. Feeling embarrassed Shawn quickly looked away.

"Shawn, what were you thinking?" The voice was rough as if Lassie had been crying.

"I was thinking about getting to the station and telling you I had a lead on the shooting." Shawn felt tired, as if everything that was on his shoulders had been lifted and now he could relax.

"You could have used the phone. Instead, you went out even though you felt sick, and nearly kill yourself, and others, by getting into an accident." Now, that Shawn had turn back to look at Lassiter he could see he had been crying.

"Sorry, I didn't think."

"You never think, Shawn. That's your problem," his dad's voice piped in.

"I just saw the letters and I knew they're the answer."

"What letters, Spencer?" Lassiter said returning to cop mode.

"McNab's letters, I saw him with a drawer of them at the station."

"Were those the ones in the evidence room, Shawn?" asked Gus.

"Yeah, Gus, the drawer we saw him put one in and then lock up. I didn't think much about it back then, but now..."

"But now it could be the lead we need, thank you, Spencer. Now you stay here and rest, while I go and find these letters."

"Take Gus with you."

"Why?"

"Because, he knows where they are of course, silly."

"Oh, right, of course he does. Well, come on then, Guster."

"I'm coming, Detective Lassiter! Shawn, you just lay there and get better, understand?"

"Yes, Gus, I understand. Have fun with Lassie, just as not much fun as I do," Shawn yelled after Gus as he disappeared around the door frame.

"Shawn..." was all Shawn heard as Gus was rushed away from the door by Lassiter.

"Dad, what happened to me?"

"You don't remember?"

"A little, I remember racing out the door and getting on my bike. I even remember driving along the street, then, then, just this feeling of flying through the air and that's it."

"Shawn," Henry said before pausing. Looking at his son, he wasn't sure how to put this. "You were hit by a truck and thrown about a hundred feet into a crowd of people standing on the side of the road."

"Was any one else hurt?"

"A few people, but nothing too bad, the point is, you shouldn't have been driving, Shawn, you could have killed someone or even yourself."

"I know that, Dad, and I'm sorry, I just wanted to help."

"And you do, Shawn, you could have rang Gus and gotten him to go over there for you. Instead you decided that you would do it on your own, but you don't have to, Shawn. We are all here for you, Gus, Carlton, Juliet, the Chief and me."

"I know, Dad, I know and I truly am sorry. I just felt like I was getting left out."

"Shawn, I know McNab was a friend of yours, but you need to let Carlton to do his job, this one needs to be by the book. You know that and I know you know that."

"Yes I do and I'm trying to do my best, but it's not easy when everyone is looking at you because they know what you have done. And don't try and say that they don't care, because I know they do."

"Shawn, do we need to go over this again. No one is judging you, no one, they all care for you and are just keeping an eye on you."

"It feels like they are judging me, even Lassie." Shawn whispered the last part.

"Shawn..." Henry was interrupted by a nurse sticking her head through the door. "There is a phone call for you, Mr. Spencer, line two."

"Thank you, nurse," Henry said to the nurse and then she disappeared.

Henry looked back at Shawn who just shrugged his shoulders. Henry picked up the phone and pressed the number two button. There was a short moment of silence and then Henry could hear Chief Vick on the other end.

"Henry, Henry. Are you there?"

"Yes, Chief, I'm here. What is up?"

"We've found the letters that Shawn said McNab had. I think you better come down here and see what's in them, yourself."

The Chief sounded mysterious enough that Henry really did want to know what was in the letters, but he couldn't leave Shawn at the moment.

"Sorry, Chief, I would love to, but I can't leave Shawn at the moment."

"That's alright, Henry, I think you will need to bring him as well." With that she hung up.

Henry looked at the phone. What in the world could be in those letters to make the Chief behave this way? Looking at Shawn and then back at the phone receiver, Henry decided what he was going to do. Hanging up, he turned to Shawn.

"I'll be back in a moment," Henry said as he disappeared out through the door.

Before Shawn could process what his dad had said to him, Henry was back with a wheelchair and the doctor.

"What's going on?"

"I'd like to know that as well."

"Sorry, Shawn, Doctor, but Shawn is needed at the police station and I need you to sign his release forms."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Spencer, but your son has been in a major accident; I can't let him go just yet."

"Doctor..."

"If you will not sign them, then I will discharge myself," Shawn said butting in.

"No you won't, Shawn," Henry said holding up his hand. Turning back to the doctor Henry continued. "Doctor, the Chief of Police has requested Shawn there. I want you to sign off that you have discharged Shawn at the request of the Chief of Police, against your medical advice. That way, if something were to happen, then it will fall back on her."

"Ok, Mr. Spencer, I will do that. I will be back in a minute." The doctor left the two men alone to talk.

"What's going on, Dad?"

"They've found the letters and the Chief wants us both, there now."

"But..."

"I don't know what is in them, Shawn, just like you, but the sooner we get there the better."

Just then the doctor returned with Shawn's discharge papers. Once they were signed, Henry wheeled Shawn out of the hospital.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	6. Many Letters and One Envelope

**Chapter 6:**** Many Letters and One Envelope.**

Henry and Shawn slowly walked into the station, or rather Henry walked and Shawn hobbled. As they passed through the bull pen to the Chief's office, Henry watched how everyone watched Shawn as he passed and then they grouped to whisper to each other. No wonder Shawn thinks everyone is judging him. Henry decided to talk to the Chief after they found McNab's shooters.

As Shawn reached Henry, Henry turned around and knocked on the door. They heard the Chief call their names and tell them to come in. When they entered they found Chief Vick sitting in her chair with Lassiter and O'Hara leaning over her desk. Lying on the desk was a pile of letters.

"Henry, Shawn, glad you two could get here," Chief Vick said with relief in her voice.

"It better be good since I took Shawn out of hospital for this."

"It is and I'm sorry about that, but I think he needs to see this."

"Well, I got the doctor to note that you requested Shawn to be discharged."

"That's fine, I'll take responsibility for Shawn, is that what you want?"

"What I want is..."

"Now that we're here," Shawn quickly butted in and staring at his father, "let's have a look at what they have."

Shawn saw his father's nod and walked over to the desk and picked up the letter closest to him. Henry watched as Shawn's face changed from being tired and twisted with pain, to a look of pure shock. Shawn looked at his Dad and then passed him the letter. As Henry took it, Shawn sat down in a nearby chair. Henry watched him with worry as the little colour Shawn had on his face, just drained away.

'_What could be in this letter that could cause such a reaction in Shawn?'_ Henry thought. After he read the letter he, too, could feel the colour drain from his face. _'If this is what is in this letter, what the hell is in the others?'_

"Now, do you see why we wanted you both here?"

"Yes," Henry said swallowing hard. "Are they all the same?"

"Just about, Shawn actually picked up one of the 'milder' ones," Lassiter said looking at his lover. He was just about to look back to the others, when he noticed that Shawn was looking strangely at something. "What do you see, Shawn?"

"There's an envelope under the desk. It has a return address on it."

Juliet was down on her knees picking up the envelope and handing it to the Chief.

"It's not mine, but there was no envelope with the letters, so where did it come from?"

"It's from the letters alright," Shawn gasped.

"Are you ok, Shawn?" asked Henry who was more concerned about his son than the envelope right at that moment.

"Yeah, just a little winded at the moment. The envelope, Chief, it is from the letters. It's made from the same paper, has the same colour and the hand writing is the same." Just as Shawn finished his explanation, a wave of pain hit him, causing Shawn to double over.

Henry and Lassiter both rushed to his side, but it was Lassiter that snapped at the Chief.

"Right, he did what you wanted. Now call an ambulance." Chief Vick didn't even hesitate; she made the call, never once taking her eyes off Shawn.

It took ten minutes for the medical crew to get there, another ten for them to stabilise him and as they were loading him, Lassiter and Henry had a private talk. When they were ready to leave, Henry went with him. When the Chief turned around, she was surprised to find just about everyone in the station was standing there watching the ambulance leave.

Feeling the pressure from the eyes which were on her, Chief Vick hurried back to her office. A few moments later, a knock came on her door.

"Enter!" She said and tried to make it look like she was busy.

"Chief?" came the hesitate voice of O'Hara. "Can I come in?"

"Of course, O'Hara," Chief Vick barked and felt guilty as soon as she saw O'Hara flinch. "Sorry. I made a mistake and..."

"You made a judgement call. We got a lead and unfortunately Shawn got hurt. I'm sure he will understand."

"What about Lassiter. They've both just gotten back to full time work, after...well, you know. Maybe this case is a little too hard for both of them."

"Chief, even if you didn't give them the case, they would still be working it, in one form or another."

"You're right of course; I just hope I haven't caused permanent damage to Shawn in the process."

"He'll be fine." Both women looked at the door to find Detective Lassiter standing there.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, Detective."

"As O'Hara said, you needed to make a judgement call and in this job, it's something we will all need to do at some time another. But Shawn will be fine and we need to get back to work. Have you got that envelope O'Hara?"

"Yes, right here." She held up the evidence bag with the envelope in it.

"Good, get it down to the lab and I will check out the address on the computer."

"Right, be back soon." And with that O'Hara left the office.

Just as Lassiter turned around so he too could leave, Chief Vick called him back.

"Lassiter, Carlton, I am sorry, you know that don't you?"

"Yes, Chief, I do, but I asked you if we could take that the stuff to him. You knew he had just been hit by a truck and needed to be in hospital."

"Yes I did, but the chances of Mr Guster being there, was just too high to risk it. Anyway, why didn't you go with Shawn and Henry?"

"Because I was talking to Henry and we need to fine the shooters fast."

"Why, they're not after Shawn?"

"No, they're not. But Shawn is blaming himself for the accident with the truck and holding us up from finding them. He's starting to get depressed again and the fact that every time he comes into the station, everybody is watching him isn't helping. He thinks they're judging him."

"They wouldn't do that."

"Doesn't matter, it's what's going on in Shawn's mind that does and to him, we're keeping him out of the loop."

"Ok, I'll talk to everyone about their behaviour while you get on about that address. And Lassiter..."

"Yes Chief?"

"Let me know what you find out please."

"I will, Chief, I promise I will." And with that Lassiter headed over to his desk to see what the address on the envelope would reveal.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	7. An Address to Nowhere

**Chapter 7:**** An Address to Nowhere.**

Lassiter frowned at his screen and what it was saying, or rather at what it wasn't saying. He tapped a few more keys and again waited for the results and once again, it made him frown. He was so intent on what he was doing he didn't hear O'Hara come up behind him.

"Did you get anywhere with that address, Carlton?" The way he turned around, she was sure he was going to hit her.

"O'Hara, don't do that, for crying out loud." Lassiter said before going back to the computer and typing a few more things in.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, according to this computer the address doesn't exist."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that according to the computer there is NO 32 Mable Road in Santa Barbara. In fact, it says there isn't even a Mable Road."

"That can't be right," O'Hara said leaning over his shoulder. "There has to be a Mable Road."

"There was one years ago, but it got shut down and ripped up."

Both detectives froze, the one person they didn't want to know what they were doing, was standing right behind them. Turning around, they came face to face with Gus.

"Sorry, Guster?"

"Mable Road, it was closed and destroyed when Shawn and I were kids. What are you looking that up for anyway and do you know where Shawn is?"

"It's for a case that just came in and Shawn is at the hospital, isn't he?"

"No, he's not," Gus said looking at the Detectives suspiciously. "And why would an old disused road come up in a case now."

"Could you tell us where it was and why it was closed down?"

"I can show you where it used to be and it was closed down, and I'm just repeating what I've heard, but there was supposed to have been a mass murder committed there. The families of three of the four houses were killed. But as I said, I am only repeating what I had heard as a child. Now, Shawn?"

"He was here, but Henry took him back in an ambulance. O'Hara, get a map so Guster can tell us where Mable road uses to be."

"I'll be back in a minute." And with that O'Hara took off.

"A map won't be any good, Detective. I'll need to take you there."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Yes, I am. What the hell is going on?"

"Mr. Guster, my office, now. You, too, Detective and bring O'Hara with you," Chief Vick said and then she disappeared just as quickly as she had appeared.

Just then O'Hara returned and she saw the stunned looks on their faces and started to get worried.

"What happened?"

"The Chief wants us all in her office, now."

"Oh?" O'Hara said, still confused.

All three walked in to the Chief's office, Lassiter shutting the door behind them. Once inside, they stood still in front of Chief Vick's desk. She was on the phone and had a very worried look on her face.

"Yes, yes, I understand and thank you for letting me know and keep me up to date on any developments." Chief Vick hung up and looked at the three people standing in front of her. Taking in a deep breath she spoke to them.

"That was Detective Manson. Apparently the ambulance that collected Shawn never arrived back at the hospital. They have just found it, crashed, on the side of the road."

"But...where are Shawn and Henry?"

"We don't know, Carlton, but it looks like there was a struggle and they found..."

"Found what, Chief?" Gus said hoping she wasn't going to say blood.

"They found the ambulance officers dead at the crash site and blood in the back of the ambulance."

"No, not Shawn, this can't happen to him right now, he's not..."

"Detective Lassiter, I will not remove you from the case you are working on at the moment, but if your relationship with Shawn is going to affect you like this, I will let his services to this police station go. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Chief, I understand, it's just..."

"I know, and I'm sure that Shawn will be ok, as well as Henry, but right now I need you to focus on the case at hand. If any news comes in about Shawn, I'll let you know, deal?"

"Yes, chief, it's a deal."

"Right, now what do you have for me?" neither detectives said anything, all they did was look at each other and then at Gus. "Mr. Guster..." Chief Vick started to say, "Do you know anything about the shooting at the restaurant?"

"No, Chief, why would I?"

"Do you know any of the details in McNab's letters?"

"No, I don't even know what letters you're talking about...wait letters? I know of one letter. Shawn and I saw McNab putting what looked like a letter into a drawer in the evidence room one time. Is that what you are talking about?" Gus asked with a mixture of anger and confusion in his voice.

"Yes, Gus, it is." Juliet said placing a gentle hand on Gus' arm.

"One more question, Mr. Guster. Do you know anyone with the same name as you?"

"Yes, my uncle. I was named after him."

"Where does he live?" barked Lassiter, who was starting to get tired of this question and answer game.

"He lives in Chicago, why?"

"Has he ever lived in Santa Barbara?"

"Yes, when I was a kid, he used to live on..."

"Where, Guster?" Lassiter barked once again.

"He uses to live at 32 Mable Road. He was living there, when the murders happened, but he was cleared of any involvement."

"I'm sure he was," Lassiter sneered.

"Chief, maybe we better let Gus see some of the letters," Juliet said, her voice wavering a little, as she thought about what was in them.

"What? O'Hara, are you crazy?" Lassiter's voice was full of shock at what Juliet had just suggested.

"I agree with O'Hara, Detective Lassiter. Mr. Guster might be the one to give us some insight to what these letters mean."

"I think you are both wrong. As far as we know, he could be the author of these letters and we're just giving them to him."

"We're not just giving him the letters, Detective. We are asking him if he can shed any light on what the letters might mean. If you haven't forgotten, McNab and a lot of other people are fighting for their lives right now; some have already lost the battle. Any help we can get, we are not turning down. Understand?"

"Yes, Chief, I'll go and get the letters." And with that Lassiter exited the room, leaving Gus alone with the Chief and O'Hara.

After a long, silent five minutes, Lassiter walked back in, holding a bunch of letters in plastic evidence bags in his hand. As Lassiter dropped the letters onto the table, a strange odour entered the air and Lassiter wrinkled up his nose at it, in fact they all did, except for Gus. The odour had a different affect on him.

"Oh, God..." was all Gus could say; his dark completion became gray in colour, just before he rushed out of the door and headed for the toilets.

His reaction left the other three watching him leave in bewilderment.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	8. A Forgotten Past Leads Back to the

**Chapter 8:**** A Forgotten Past Leads Back to the Present.**

Gus heard the door to the toilets open and he knew from the sound of the footsteps that it was Detective Lassiter who had followed him. As he dry retched again, he tried to work out how he was going to tell them what had just happened.

The problem wasn't 'telling them'. It was trying to explain that, until that moment when that scent had hit him, he had forgotten all about what had happened all those years ago.

To Lassiter's relief, Gus came out of the cubical about five minutes after he had entered. Gus looked and smelled like hell, but now wasn't the right time to say something. Instead, Lassiter passed him a wet towel. They stood there in silence for about another five minutes before the silence got to Lassiter.

"What happened, Guster?"

"What do you mean, Detective?" Gus bit back; he wasn't ready for this, he wasn't ready to face what everyone would say to him when he revealed what he had witnessed as a child. Hell, even Shawn didn't know about it.

"Gus," Lassiter said as he let out a sigh, "please, something just happened to you and we need to know what it was."

"I know you do, it's just...I got hit with that smell and it reminded me of something, that's all."

"What?"

"I think it would be better if I say it with the Chief and Juliet there. I don't think I will be able to repeat it too many times."

"Ok, so if you're ready, let's go." And with that Gus and Lassiter walked out of the toilets and back to the Chief's office.

Chief Vick and Juliet were going over the letters again when the two men walked back in. Both women gave Gus the once over, but it was Juliet who walked over to him and gave Gus a hug.

"Are you feeling better?"

"A little," Gus said eyeing the letters. "The letters mention about McNab being abused as a kid, don't they?"

"Yes, they do, Mr. Guster. Can you tell us how you know that?"

"Because, because I was there when it happened," Gus whispered.

"What do you mean, Guster?" Lassiter barked at Gus.

"I was there. I saw what my uncle did to those boys. I just forgot all about it...until the smell from those letters reached me. Then the memories, they, they just hit me."

"I don't understand. I thought you and Shawn didn't know McNab until you both started working here."

"I didn't think I did either, Detective Lassiter. I can only guess that McNab was one of the boys he had over."

"What about Shawn?" the chief asked.

"What about him?"

"Did your uncle touch him, or could he have remembered McNab?"

"I don't remember my uncle ever touching Shawn and as for knowing McNab before hand, he could have, I guess, I honestly don't know. As far as I know, I was the only one present when my uncle had any boys over."

"How could you forget something like this Guster?" Lassiter said as he walked up to Gus, as if he was about to hit him.

"Carlton!" Juliet snapped as she walked in between the two men. "Gus is just saying what he remembers and we need to take into account that he was very young at the time." She turned to Gus. "Right, Gus?"

"Yes," Gus stammered out, still staring into Lassiter's eyes.

"Gus!" Juliet calling his name brought Gus back from the shock state he was in.

"Yes, yes, Juliet, I was young. It was just after my fifth birthday, the first time I saw my uncle with a boy in his bed, I think and the last time was...the night of the murders."

"So it keeps coming back to this street; the one that doesn't exist anymore."

"Well..."

"Well, what, Mr. Guster?"

"Well, the street and three houses don't exist anymore, but my uncle's house still does. They couldn't pull it down by law. It didn't have a murder happen in it and my uncle still pays the taxes."

"So basically, there is a house out there, practically situated in no man's land, which this station knew nothing about." Lassiter said more to himself then to the rest in the room.

"Yes."

"You said others, what others?"

"You mean as in the boys, Juliet?"

"Yes."

"Well, I think I remember at least three different boys. They were all different ages as well."

"Do you know if there was a boy with your uncle the night of the murders?" Chief Vick asked in a soft quiet voice.

"There could have been; I was seven at the time and...yes, yes, there was a boy at the house that night. My uncle called him...George."

"So if McNab was there...it would have been before his own family was murdered."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with the shooting," Juliet said shaking her head.

"When did McNab get the last letter?" Gus suddenly asked.

"Umm...here it is, about two months ago, why?"

"Because that was when my uncle was back in town."

"I don't understand, Mr. Guster."

"What if the shooters were some of my uncle's boys and they had seen McNab talking to my uncle. It's evident that Uncle Burton and McNab had kept in touched. What if the shooters, thought..."

"That McNab is a..." Just then Officer Noll busted in.

"Chief, they've found them."

"Found who?"

"The Spencer's, Henry and Shawn Spencer, they went missing on the way to hospital!" the officer said a little confused, as he was sure that he Chief would have known all of this.

"Right, right, umm...where did they find them?"

"In an old abandon house, just off Schoeler Road."

"Oh, my God," Gus said as he covered his mouth.

"What is it Gus."

"That's my uncle's old house, the one on Maple Road."

Chief Vick, Lassiter and O'Hara all exchanged worried looks and then headed out the door.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	9. We Want Burton Guster not Burton Guster

**Chapter 9:**** We Want Burton Guster; not Burton Guster.**

As Gus, Lassiter, Juliet and the Chief climbed out of the squad car, Detective Manson approached them.

"Chief," he said as soon as he was next to her.

"What do you have, Detective?"

"It seems that two men have both Henry and Shawn Spencer in the old house. They've told us that if we enter the house, they will kill them."

"Did they say why they kidnapped them?" Gus asked.

"No only that they will only talk to you, Mr. Guster.

"ME! Why would they want to talk to me?"

"They said..."

"Did you tell them that Shawn was ill and if he dies, they will be charged with his death?" Lassiter interrupted.

"I did try to tell them that, Detective Lassiter, but they insisted on talking only to Mr. Guster. I understand that Shawn is your boyfriend, sir, but you need to let me deal with this."

"Sorry, I just..."

"Detective Lassiter," Chief Vick said. "I think you need to go over there with Detective O'Hara for now and wait, please."

Lassiter looked at his Chief and without saying a word, he walked away with O'Hara. After the Chief was sure Lassiter was out of ear shot, she turned her attention back to her other Detective.

"Now, Detective Manson, what were you saying?"

"I said that the two men only want to talk to Mr. Guster and Mr. Guster, alone."

"But, why me? What could I have that they want?"

"Well, Mr. Guster, there is only one way to find out, and that is for you to talk to them," Chief Vick answered him.

"You're right, I guess. So how do I do it?"

"Come with me, we have a line connected to the house."

Lassiter and O'Hara watched as Detective Manson, Chief Vick and Gus walk over to a white van and climb in. After they had closed the door, Lassiter turned to Juliet.

"What do you think they're doing?"

"Well, Detective Manson did say the men wanted to talk to Gus. So I guess that's what they're doing."

"I wish I could be in there," Lassiter said as he eyed both the house and van again.

"House or van, Carlton?"

"Either, I just want to be there for Shawn and I can't." Juliet could hear the sadness in his voice and it broke her heart. The man she thought was unbreakable was breaking.

**Inside, the van...**

Chief Vick, Mr. Guster. I'm Harrow Black, the negotiator," a strange looking man said as they entered the van.

"Mr. Black, what do you have for me?"

"Well I'm sure Detective Manson has filled you in on most of the stuff. Basically we have two men, holding two other men hostage and to our knowledge, one of the hostages is very ill."

"That's right. That would be Shawn; his father, the other man, was with Shawn in the back of the ambulance when they were taken."

"I guessed that from what Detective Manson has told me. I have tried to talk to the gunmen, but they insist on only talking to Mr. Guster."

"But I don't understand what they want from me."

"There is only one way to find out Mr. Guster," Mr. Black said as he passed Gus a head set for him to talk to the men.

Gus stared at them for a minute, but as the images of Shawn laying somewhere sick, helped him make up his mind. Gus took the head set and put it on.

"This is Mr. Black; we have Mr. Guster here waiting to talk to you."

"You have Mr. Guster there? Mr. Burton Guster, right?"

"That's right, Mr. Burton Guster, the man you asked for. Now, before I let you talk to him, I want to know how your guests are doing."

"The old man is...well, we've managed to stop the bleeding from his arm and..."

"Are you telling me that both of your hostages are hurt?"

"The older one tried to stop us from taking his son, so yes, we hurt him. And as for the other one, well let's just say he is sleeping, for now. NOW LET ME SPEAK TO MR. GUSTER"

"OK, here he is." Mr. Black turned to look at Gus. "You need to talk calmly and steadily to them. Don't let anything that they say to you upset you. That's all they are after. Are you ready?"

Gus nodded his head, even though he wasn't sure he was, but he needed to do this for Shawn and Mr. Spencer.

"Hello, this is Burton Guster. Who is this?"

"What the..." they could hear the other man on the other end of the phone cursing. "Who the Hell are you?" Is this some trick? I want Burton Guster, and this isn't him."

Everyone in the van looked back and forth between each other, confused. What do they mean, Gus isn't Burton Guster?

"Sorry," Gus said trembling into the microphone, "But I am..."

"You are not Burton Guster!" the voice boomed through the microphone. Suddenly Gus got an idea.

"Are you after Burton Guster, the man who owns this house?"

There was a little silence, before a much lower, yet still angry, voice answered.

"Yes. Why?"

"Because he was my Uncle, I was named after him and because you have taken my best friend and his dad hostage, they assumed you were after me."

"That sounds plausible. Can you get your uncle here?"

Gus dropped his head down and looked at his hands. Taking a deep breath, he answered with a shaky voice.

"Sorry, I can't." Everyone in the van looked at Gus confused, "he was killed in a car accident about two months ago." Chief Vick placed a comforting hand on Gus' shoulder; she didn't know that Gus' uncle was dead. "Is there anything I can do for you so that you will let Shawn and Mr. Guster go?"

"Yeah, there is." The voice was no longer angry; instead it came through a low sneer.

"What?" Gus practically whispered, afraid of the answer.

"Stop trying to play me and get me your Uncle. You have one hour and if he's not on the phone by then, your best friend's dad will...well let's just say...you won't recognise him, ever again."

"But Uncle Burton is dead." Gus angrily snarled through clenched teeth. "And if he wasn't, it would take a lot longer to get him here from New York where he was living."

"That's your problem. Just get him here." And with that the line went dead, leaving the occupants of the van trying to work out what they could do next.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	10. Through a Tunnel, into the Light

**Chapter 10:**** Through a Tunnel, into the Light.**

Chief Vick, Gus and Detective Manson climbed out of the van. They needed to regroup and hoped that Lassiter had calmed down enough so that he was able to help them deal with the problem at hand. Walking over to where Lassiter and O'Hara were standing, Chief Vick could still feel the tension coming from her detective.

"Do you have your emotions under control yet, Detective Lassiter?" She was using her 'don't mess with me' voice.

"Yes, Chief, and, sorry, I just..."

"Don't worry about it, at least not now; we need to work out a way to get in there," Chief Vick pointed toward the house, "in less than an hour."

"Why in less than an hour, Chief?" O'Hara asked eyeing Gus off. It concerned her to see him stand so still and quiet, while Shawn was in that house, having gods know what done to him. But it wasn't Chief Vick who answered her.

"Because...if we don't get my dead uncle here in under an hour, they are going to hurt Mr. Spencer, maybe even kill him."

"Your uncle is dead?" Lassiter asked a little confused. "Why would they want your dead uncle, Guster?"

"They didn't know he was dead and they got upset when it was me, not him, talking to them. I told them he was dead, but they didn't believe me." Gus was visibly getting upset.

"So, what do we..."

"Did they mention Shawn? Is he ok?" Lassiter said interrupting O'Hara.

"I, we don't know. They just said that they had hurt Mr. Spencer and Shawn was...sleeping." Gus answered.

"I see," Lassiter said looking down at the ground.

"Do either of you have any idea how to get into this house, the sooner, the better?" Chief Vick asked looking between her two detectives.

"Not at the moment, Chief."

"Just give me a second," Lassiter responded at the same time.

"I know a way in." Gus looked at each of the people in front of him.

"You do?" they all said in unison.

"Of course I do. It's my uncle's house. I've been here before."

"Where and how? Right now, Guster, right, now," Lassiter barked at him.

"Of course, Detective, follow me." And Gus led them over to a smaller building near the main house. Opening up the door, Gus entered and the others followed.

The building consisted of one room and was full of old furniture. Gus made his way to the back and after moving a few chairs aside, he pushed on the wall, which moved, opening up to reveal a hidden passage.

"I don't believe it. A hidden passage. Where does it lead?" Lassiter asked in wonderment.

"The kitchen; Shawn and I played hide and go seek in here when we were kids. There are at least four tunnels, three dead ends and one real one."

"Wow, that's amazing," Juliet said. "You do know the right one to take, don't you?"

"I'm sure I remember." Gus screwed up his face as he tried to remember. "Shawn would know the way, no matter what, but yeah, I'm sure I can get us through."

"Right, Detective Lassiter, you go and get some officers and bring them back here."

"Yes, Chief, and what are you going to be doing?"

"We're going into the tunnel and see if it helps jog Mr. Guster's memory."

"Right, Chief." And with that, Lassiter left the small building.

Chief Vick and O'Hara followed Gus through the hidden doorway.

The tunnel was dark and damp. It didn't take Gus long to find the light switch and turn on the old dim lights. As their eyes adjusted to the light, it becomes clear that the tunnels were manmade and due to this fact, they needed a lot of work done to make them safe.

Just behind them, Lassiter appeared with a handful of men. He held three flashlights. Chief Vick took two and passed one to Gus. Lassiter passed O'Hara one and an officer behind him, passed him another one.

Gus took the flashlight that was passed to him and shone it onto the entrance of one of the tunnels. He continued doing this to the other three entrances, until he seemed happy with the one he chose. Walking up to it, Gus shone the light down into its depths.

"This is the one."

"Are you sure?" Lassiter asked looking into the tunnel himself.

"Yes, I am. Shawn and his dad's lives depend on me being right. So I'm not going to stuff this up, Detective." And with that, Gus entered the tunnel. He was then followed by Lassiter, Chief Vick, O'Hara and then the other officers.

They followed Gus for about ten minutes and had come across three places where he had to choose a new tunnel. Finally they emerged from the latest tunnel to find themselves in front of a heavy wooden door.

"Is this it?" Chief Vick asked as she walked up to the door.

"Yes, this opens into the pantry and from there you are in the house."

"Well done, Mr. Guster, but I would like it if you stayed back a little, while we go in first."

"You'll have no argument there, Chief." Gus stood back as he watched the officer's pull open the heavy door. The poorly lit tunnel was suddenly flooded by a stream of bright, blinding light.

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it.**


	11. The Rescue

**Chapter 11: The Rescue.**

Their eyes adjusted quickly to the bright light and Lassiter could see the shelves of canned and packaged foods through the open door. On the other side of the room was another door, which was closed. Moving quickly and quietly, the small group made their way over and through that door into the kitchen. Clearing it, they headed towards one of the two doors in the room.

"Wait," Gus half whispered/yelled at them. "That's the wrong door. That one opens out to the back yard." He pointed to the other door. "This one over here leads to the rest of the house."

O'Hara and Lassiter looked at each other and Lassiter shrugged his shoulders. Just as he was about to say something to her, a cold, blood curdling scream reached their ears.

"Spencer," Lassiter growled as his eyes grew wide and his face drained of colour.

As another scream reached them, they were all heading towards the door. Once through, everybody strained the ears to try and work out were the screams came from. Just as they started to go one way, another nerve wracking noise came from the other.

Racing along the corridors, they turned this way and that, and finally found themselves outside a big old wooden door.

"Where does this lead?" Lassiter said looking at Gus.

"The cellar, but that door has been locked as long as I can remember." Just as Gus finished, another one of Shawn's screams come echoing out from behind the door. But this time they could hear what he was saying.

"Oh God, Dad, Please Dad, wake up. Please."

Lassiter was just about to shout out Shawn's name, when he heard Shawn yelling.

"What the hell did you do to my Dad?" They could hear someone laugh in the background. "If I ever get my hands on you, I will kill you."

"You won't be getting your hands on us. In fact, you won't be leaving here, alive, pervert."

"I'm not a pervert, but you are murderers. Cold blooded murderers and you will pay for what you've done."

"Your friend, McNab, he is one. He is in contact with the man who destroyed us. So we are going to destroy them both."

"But, what's that to do with me and my Dad?"

"You're friends with both men."

"Yes, I'm friends with McNab. But I only know the Burton Guster you're after, because he's my best friend's uncle. Anyway, he was killed in a car accident a while back and..."

"That's what the other guy said. The one the cops said was Burton Guster."

"I know that, I was there as well."

"Well, what are we going to do?"

"Just give me a second to think."

Lassiter and the rest stood still, listening to what was being said. Then their blood ran cold, when they heard the unknown men start speaking again.

"Let's just kill these two and get the hell out of here. That's what I say."

"I agree. We can get out through the tunnel in the kitchen and make sure we're seen before they raid this place. Sorry about this."

Upon hearing this, Lassiter and the other officers started to pull the doors open. Once inside, they saw Shawn crouched over his dad, who was evidently unconscious, with two men standing over them, guns pointed at Shawn's head.

"Police, put your guns down," Lassiter shouted as he and the rest rushed in, guns in hand.

The two men looked at each other and then dropped their guns and put their hands in the air. After they were handcuffed and only then, did Lassiter walk over to Shawn and Henry, who had now come to.

"You ok, Shawn?" he asked as he kneeled down beside him.

"Yeah, just a little shook up, but I think I really need to get to hospital. A crash with a truck and then being beaten up by those two goons, it really has taken a toll on my body."

"The ambulance is on its way," Juliet said, trying to offer a little bit of comfort.

Shawn looked at her and smiled, but it disappeared when he saw Gus standing a little ways from them.

"Gus…you ok?"

"I'm fine, Shawn, and sorry."

"What for, Gus?"

"For, this, for what just happened of course. If it wasn't for my uncle, you and your dad wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"Gus…this is me remember. I was due to be kidnapped again," Shawn said his smile back once more.

"Shawn…"

"Come on, buddy, you don't really think I would blame you, do you?"

"No, Shawn, I don't." and with that Gus walked over and bumped fists with Shawn.

"Now that's what we are talking about."

Twenty minutes later, Shawn and Henry were on their way to the hospital.

Two hours later they were all in Shawn and Henry's hospital room talking.

"So how is McNab doing?" Shawn asked and all he got was dirty looks from everyone. "What, I really want to know how he is doing…no, he, he hasn't died, has he?"

"No Shawn, he's in the ICU, in stable, but critical condition."

"Oh, and that's why you didn't want to tell me?"

"No, it's just, just that, if he lives he will be arrested for child abuse."

"Why?"

"Because of what is in the letters." Chief Vick answered his question.

"But, he hasn't done anything."

"The letters say differently, Shawn." This time it was O'Hara who answered.

"No, they don't. In fact they say the opposite."

"Shawn…"

"No, Dad, the letters were written by McNab himself."

"What do you mean?" Chief Vick asked.

"The letters, McNab wrote them. My guess is, he was seeing a therapist and by writing down what had happened to him was one of the ways to help him. I doubt any of the letters were from your uncle, Gus."

"Well I have to go now, Shawn, Henry. When I get back to the station, I will get the letters to a hand writing expert and we will see what they have to say."

"Ok, Chief," Shawn said and then all of them said their goodbyes to her as she walked out.

Once the Chief left, Henry turned back to his son. "Shawn, how do you know that writing letters to yourself is a type of therapy?"

"Through mum, how else would I know?" Shawn said yawning.

"I think we better let you two get some sleep. See you in the morning, Shawn," Lassiter said, giving Shawn a kiss. He then turned to Henry. "Good night, Mr. Spencer."

"Good night, Lassiter, Gus, Juliet," Henry answered back, and he and Shawn laid there as they watched them leave.

"Good night, Dad." Shawn said, as he snuggled into his bed.

"Good night, Shawn," Henry said as he, too, tried to make himself comfortable. But sleep for Henry didn't come easy. He was too worried about how Shawn knew about the letter therapy and whether or not McNab would be ok.

**The End**

**Thank you for reading my story and for reviewing it. Now would you like a sequel to find out whether or not McNab survives and whether or not Shawn is correct about the letters? If so just let me know. I might even let you see what was written in one of them.**


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